what do you do about work when they are ill?

DD had to be collected from nursery on Tuesday with a runny tummy and was still having bouts of diarrhoea through last night, so the earliest she can return now is Monday. I have had two days off work, one unpaid, as DH is away with work. He returns tonight and will take time off tomorrow. We both work full time and I am a teacher so can't take annual leave. I have heard that these bugs can last up to two weeks and I am panicking because I don't know what we are going to do if DD needs to stay at home next week. I feel stupid because I don't have a back up plan! What do you do when DC are ill? And incidentally, has anyone heard of a bug where babies only have diarrhoea at night and are right as rain in the daytime?!

DP and I take turns, or juggle, and try and share it between us, causing as little upset to our 'day jobs' as possible. But it must be v hard for people like teachers. I have in the past asked favours from friends, we had a nanny for a while, whic is good when a child is ill, but you get the same problem when the nanny is ill (though this happens less often than the non-stop infections that children seem to pick up at nursery). I would look for someone local who I trusted and knows your dd and ask if they could be a (paid) back up.

Arrange to work from home. Fortunately my DC aren't ill too often either so it doesn't look as if I'm taking the piss when I ask to do so. Before I was able to do so I used to call on mum, or MIL, or if the illness wasn't too bad or contagious, my CM. It was a bit of a juggle.

I'm a teacher thinking of going back to work and this really makes me anxious. You can't work from home or just take leave as a teacher!! My husband works away from home so won't be able to take time off either... most teachers in my previous school had partners who worked more flexibly so it really wasn't the "done thing" to take time off

Presumably childminders etc won't want a sick child so I can't work it out and I'm really wanting to go back to work!

Both me and DH take a mix of annual leave and unpaid parental leave (You can legally take up to 13 weeks before your child is 5yo). I regard this as the 'hit' we take choosing to both work, him full time and me 0.8.I do a lot of juggling at work, but don't claim to work from home apart from the odd essential phone call and checking my email at night as I think to try to do so would be unfair on both my DD and employer.I've used a lot of annual leave this year being at home with a poorly toddler, but to be honest I consider it a priviledge that I am able to do so. Thats so much more important to me than holiday holidays.I've blagged some big favours at work, but I was in credit before I had DD and my collegues know I'll bail them out at some point in return.I'd ask other teachers what they do and find out the school policy.

Thanks everyone! DD is nearly 10 months, should have said that before. She seems to be on the mend now, so hopefully we will be ok for next week. I spoke to some of the other teachers and it seems they either have partners who take annual leave or they take unpaid leave. I suppose if they are ill, you just take a hit. Thank you for all your responses.

Thanks everyone! DD is nearly 10 months, should have said that before. She seems to be on the mend now, so hopefully we will be ok for next week. I spoke to some of the other teachers and it seems they either have partners who take annual leave or they take unpaid leave. I suppose if they are ill, you just take a hit. Thank you for all your responses.

Talk to your school. Dh teaches as so lots of our friends. All of the schools accept occasional absence to care for sick children. Think of it as sick leave by proxy. They can't take annual leave and I think that's the very reason why they are understanding. If it's very extended it might be unpaid and there is an unwritten rule that dps do their share. It's worth finding out what your school's policy is in advance so you know where you stand when you make the call. I am mostly sahm at the mo and on the rare occasions I am ill dh has had to take time off to care for our children too.

I think when it's vomiting or diarrhoea the only thing you can do is take time off, even if it's unpaid. I do have grandparents I can call on if the DC are under the weather, but there is no way I could ask them to care for the DC if they had D &V.